Guide-rod for tops of freight-cars



(No Model.)

M. SULLIVAN. GUIDE ROD FOR TOPS 0F FREIGHT CARS.

No. 438,031. Patented Oct. '7, 1890.

InvEntmT.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MIOIIEAL SULLIVAN, OF ROYALTON, WISCONSIN.

GUIDE-RC5 FOR TOPS OF FREIGHT-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,031, dated Qctober '7, 1890.

Application filed June 5, 1890. Serial No. 354,374- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MICHEAL SULLIVAN, a citizen of the-United States, residing atRoyalton, in the county of Waupaca and State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in aProtector and Guide for Railroad Freightmen; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make use the same.

My invention relates to a protector and guide for tops of railroad freight-cars to be used by brakemen in passing from one car to the other while the same is in motion, or upon dark nights when it is impossible to see or rightly direct ones self without something by which you can be governed.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and eifectual guide or protector for said purpose that can be readily attached or detached to any freightcar. I attain said object by a certain combination and arrangement of parts, fully described in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a perspective view of my invention attached to the car.

Referring to the drawing, the letter A designates the posts, which are made with any suitable bottom with a View of securing the same easily to the top of the car by means of screws or otherwise. To the top, through the body or to the side-of said posts, there is secured a hand railing or guide B at a suitable height convenient for grasping the rail when passing along the top of the car. It will be observed that my invention consists of three rows of said railing and posts arranged at intervals upon the top of the railway-car with a view of making two distinct passage-ways, so that two or more brakemen can pass at the same time without collision, each being provided with an entirely distinct passage-way and supports for both hands. Hence collision is impossible in-dark nights, as it can be understood among the brakernen that in passing in any one direction the passenger must go to the right or left passage-way. It will further be observed that the three rows of railing also provide a hand-support that makes slipping and falling an impossibility.

I attach special importance to my invention for the following reasons-namely, because the records of railroads show that scarcely a day passes without some brakeman being killed or injured in passing over the top of freight-cars. As it is absolutely necessary for the brakeman to be continually passing from one car to the other when the same is in motion, they frequently, (upon dark nights when they cannot guide themselves or at times when the top of the cars are slippery from ice or rain,) owing to a jerk or the twist of the train in motion, lose their equilibrium, and the consequence is they are thrown to the ground and killed or fatally injured. By my invention I propose to obviate these drawbacks, and to provide a simple and eifectual remedy for same.

What I claim is The combination of a railway freight-car with three rows of railing and posts arranged at intervals upon the top of said car, so as to provide hand-supports and two distinct passage-ways for brakemen in passing from one car to the other, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MIOHEAL SULLIVAN.

Witnesses:

S. A. PHILLIPS, T. B. MoOoRD. 

